


Expecting

by wordsonpages



Series: Three makes family [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Baby, Domestic Bughead, Expecting, F/M, Family, Fluff, Love, Teen Pregnancy, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 16:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11317548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsonpages/pseuds/wordsonpages
Summary: How do you react when you unexpectedly find out you're expecting... at 16





	Expecting

Betty awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking, the comforting odour wafting into the bedroom and bringing a soft smile to her face. The early morning sun was drifting through the window and illuminating the small space with a soft glow that was warm on her skin in the chilly trailer. Opening her eyes fully, Betty sat up and ran a hand through her wild blonde tresses, sighing contently as she pushed back the covers, placing her fuzzy sock clad feet on the floor and snuggled further into Jughead’s old hoodie, inhaling his scent that always made her feel safe.

Padding out of the little bedroom that was fast feeling more their bedroom despite each of them having a bed elsewhere- her at her own house and him at his foster home- she was greeted with a sight that made her heart flutter with appreciation and love.

Jughead was busy at the stove, flipping bacon and scrambling eggs, an old rock tune bleeding from the radio on the counter top, his low voice softly humming along to it. Betty stilled leaning against the open door frame, taking a moment to be enraptured with him. His dark hair free from the beanie and falling in his eyes recklessly, lean body clad in a usual flannel and sweats.

 

She felt so incredibly lucky.

Not because they were without trouble. No, they were faced with their fair share of burdens and them some in the form of fragile families, imprisoned father’s, hurting friends, hurting themselves, fracturing towns and leather jacket clad protectors.

Everything was crazy…

Except here. Here in this little trailer, with just him and her, their walls down and their hearts free so that their love could liberate them. Here it was- as much as she loathed the word- perfect. And that was why she felt lucky.

“Morning,” Betty greeted after absorbing the scene in front of her for a few more moments.

Jughead turned at the sound of her voice his eyes softening and lips quirking at the ethereal sight of her in the dull lights of the old trailer, clad in his clothes and looking so at ease and beautifully dishevelled.

“Hey,” he greeted pushing the hair from his eyes as she pushed off the door frame and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Jughead’s own hands came to rest on her waist, his lips meeting hers in a sweet kiss; he tasted like the coffee he survived on and she was fast becoming hooked on too.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” Jughead asked when they broke apart his brow creasing in concern.

It was no secret to him how exhausted she had been lately her feet dragging and eyes drooping, body aching. So the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt her chance to rest on a Saturday morning.

Betty shook her head, blonde hair flying in every direction at the movement, and a hand coming to rest on his cheek. Her soft lips twitched into a small, grateful smile. He was always taking care of her.

“No, the smell of-“

Betty stopped mid-sentence. Her green eyes widened in panic as her hand flew to her mouth before she abruptly pulled out of her boyfriend’s embrace and dashed to the bathroom.

“Betty?” Jughead called after her, quickly turning off the stove and following her across the small hall to the bathroom.

His face screwed up in concern as he gently opened the door to the sight of her doubled over the toilet the sound of retching.

“Oh Betts,” he sighed, moving behind her to hold her hair back and rub comforting circles on her back.

When she was finished Jughead handed her a damp towel which she graciously accepted with a mumbled “thanks” and wiped her mouth, before tying her hair back in a hasty pony tail.

“Is my cooking so bad you got sick before even tasting it?”

Betty laughed at the joke, forgetting to feel embarrassed when he always made her feel so comfortable and accepted.

“No actually. I was about to say it smelt good. I don’t know what came over me,” her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Strange,” Jughead agreed helping her to her feet.

Betty nodded moving to brush her teeth, smiling slightly at the sight of her pink toothbrush resting next to his blue one.

“How about I make you some toast instead?” Jughead asked, moving to kiss her cheek before backing out the room.

“Thanks Juggie.”

It was Monday and Betty was still feeling strangely fatigued despite spending a relaxing weekend stowed away in FP’s trailer with Jughead and ignoring the outside world. Okay so they may have spent a large portion of their time engaged in certain rigorous activities…

However, Betty still couldn’t place her uncharacteristic exhaustion. That paired with the random bout of nausea she had encountered were making her feel unsettled, though she had convinced herself it was just pent up stress and anxiety getting the better of her when she finally had time to breathe.

It was lunch and Betty had never been so grateful to escape from class. Her body felt heavy as she trudged into the student lounge to meet the others and her brain was struggling to process notes while her eyes fought to stay open.

As she entered the lounge her stomach churned at the scent of left overs and cold sandwich meat, making the blonde praise her decision to forego a meal for this exact reason. Betty was grateful for her empty stomach and squared her shoulders, confident she could get through the hour without throwing up.

“Hey B!” Veronica greeted in her usual enthusiastic tone as the blonde dropped onto the couch next to her.

Betty offered a weak smile in response, too tired and pre-occupied with inhaling as little of Archie’s surprise leftover meat sandwich as possible to talk.

“Everything okay?” Kevin asked as his face contorted in worry.

“Yeah just feeling a little run down,” Betty diverted with a wave of her hand.

The conversation carried on as if no interruption had been experienced and Betty breathed a sigh of relief, happy to focus her attention on anything else. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as Archie began recounting details of his latest song writing session with the Pussy Cats, prompting her to subtly fish it out of her pocket.

Feeling any better?

Betty smiled as Jughead’s words lit up her screen, warmth flooding her body at the gesture.

A little, thanks x

 

She replied quickly, trying not to think about how much she wished he was with her in that moment rather than on the other side of town in a different school, sharing his lunch with different friends.

“Are you sure you’re okay Betty?” Archie’s voice pulled her out of her reverie.

Betty blinked turning to the red head with confusion etched on her face. She could breathe a little easier now that the air wasn’t punctuated with the smell of her friend’s lunches and she inhaled the oxygen appreciatively.

“You haven’t eaten anything and you’ve been spacing out a lot today…” he continued noticing the blank look she was throwing his way.

“Oh. Yeah I’m just feeling a bit tired and I’ve just been a little nauseas the past few days. Don’t worry it’s probably just some bug or something.” Betty placated, touched by her friend’s concern for her wellbeing but also hoping to avoid the line of questioning.

“Maybe you’re pregnant,” Veronica teased, eyes lighting up with jest.

Betty froze. Her whole body seizing and her blood running cold. Oh my god, she thought. Her mind was reeling, her brain performing quick calculations as she began to panic.  
She couldn’t be… Could she?

Her heart was pounding as her palms began to sweat. She somehow managed to hold onto an inkling of her sanity though, presenting a convincing chuckle along with the rest of the group while her thoughts were piecing together the puzzle.

She was late. She had been feeling nauseas without any other symptoms of illness and extremely fatigued. But they were careful…

Except that time last month when he had tried to stop because they didn’t have a condom, but she hadn’t seen him in days and he looked so good in his leather jacket and was making her feel so good right there on the back seat of the truck and she had told him not to worry because she was on the pill…

And Fuck.

She could be… there was like a 1% chance she could be.

And who knew such a little number could be so hugely terrifying.

As soon as the bell rang signalling the end of lunch, Betty briskly made her way to the Blue and Gold room a shaky hand pulling out her phone as she paced the room.  
Her head was still spinning and her breathing laboured as she clenched her free hand and tried desperately to fight off the encroaching panic attack.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Pick up, pick up, pick up-

“Hey Betts,” Jughead answered after what had felt like a taunting eternity of ringing.

“Juggie,” Betty breathed, the sound of his voice alone managing to calm her racing heart and fraying nerves somewhat.

“What’s wrong?” His tone had immediately shifted, and Betty loved him even more for knowing her so well.

“I… Can you come and pick me up?”

“I’ll be right there.”

10 minutes later Betty was sitting on the front steps of Riverdale High, back pack next to her and bottom lip tucked beneath her teeth. Her hands were clenching and unclenching in nervous fists as her weary body filled with dread.

How could she have been so stupid?

Especially having an older sister and a mother who were both experts in the field of “teen mom” and “sixteen and pregnant” respectively.

And god how could she not have already thought of that possibility? And dammit why had she insisted they didn’t need the condom?

Because you’re an idiot Elizabeth.

Doing a quick google after her anxious phone call with Jughead, she had learnt that birth control pills were only effective like 91% of the time due to the impossibility to use them perfectly. According to Planned Parenthood, 9 out of 100 women who are on the pill fall pregnant each year. And fuck knowing her luck she was one of those nine.

The rumbling of FP’s truck catches her attention, the green vehicle pulling up a few metres away from her. Betty’s on her feet instantly, moving toward it as Jughead climbs out the driver’s seat.

Betty’s immediately wrapped in his arms when she reaches him, and she absorbs the comfort he offers her in the form of his scent, his warmth and his love like a sponge. They stay like that for a moment, her arms around his middle, under his jacket and his encasing her lithe body holding her close.  
Betty eventually looks up into his face, noting the expression of worry etched across his features.  
His blue eyes meet her green and although she’s still very much in a state of panic, she feels reassured as if he’s fostering her strength.

“What’s going on?” Jughead asks her gently, one hand moving to cradle her cheek, his thumb affectionately tracing the smooth skin there.

Betty swallows nervously, unsure how to approach the subject but knowing candidly is probably the best option.

“Jug, I think I might be pregnant.”

There it’s out there.

Jughead’s eyes go wide as his body tenses for a moment. It’s as if he’s almost frozen in place and if it weren’t for the puff of warm air hitting her cheek Betty may have believed that to be true.

She wants to shuffle nervously on the spot but is too terrified to move and startle him.

Betty’s heart pounds obnoxiously in her chest and she wants to throw up again.

After another beat passes, Jughead seems to regain control over himself. Letting out a shaky exhale, he locks his eyes with hers and brings his other hand up her face. The look he gives her is open and honest, determined yet soft. He caresses her rosy cheeks with a gentleness that makes her want to cry and brings his lips to hers ever so carefully.  
His expression is enigmatic to Betty. She can see the fear in his eyes matching her own but there is something much greater there. He’s not frowning though his lips aren’t curved upward either.

“I love you.” Is what he tells her; the words are so full of passion and a steel resolve.

Betty’s heart flutters at the sound, her soul in awe of this wonderful man before her. He’s not running for the hills, he’s not freaking out externally about the news she’s just dropped like a grenade like so many other boys his age would do. He’s scared as hell she knows, but he’s being her rock and her strength and her courage and her saviour and being so earth shatteringly real and it makes her appreciate him so much more.

“I love you,” she replies nuzzling her face into his neck as his arms encase her waist and his lips drop a gentle kiss to her head.

“We’ll work it out.”

They drive to Greendale to get a pregnancy test, neither of them game enough to show their faces at the local drug stores. Gossip spreads like wild fire in Riverdale and the last thing they needed was a rumour of Good Girl Betty Cooper being knocked up by newly minted Serpent Jughead Jones before they even had a chance to figure out if it was the truth themselves.

The drive wasn’t overly long, though each minute passed agonisingly slowly. Jughead held her hand tightly the entire way, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. The radio played softly in the back ground. They didn’t speak.

They were in the trailer again now- waiting.

Jughead was leaning against the foot of the bed, Betty settled between his knees as he stroked her hair and they waited with baited breath.

“What are we going to do if it’s positive?” she asks eventually, head resting against his chest and letting the beating of his heart ease her anxiety.

Jughead’s silent for a second contemplating how to respond.

“We’ll figure it out,” he responds honestly and not in a divergent way either. It’s the best he can do in that moment and they both know he means it.

Betty shifts so that she’s kneeling between his legs, facing him now.

“I’m scared,” she tells him truthfully and the look he gives her in return is startlingly intense.

“Me too.”

The timer goes off and her eyes close in anticipation, her chest feeling tight and her heart beating wildly.  
Jughead raises his hand to push a stray blonde curl behind her ear.

“Hey,” he whispers and the sound is shaky but compelling. “Look at me.”

She opens her eyes.

“Whatever that test says, I’ll still love you. I’ll always love you and we’ll work it out Betts. I promise you.”

Betty nods, leaning into his warm touch before slowly rising to her feet. She offers him her hand and he takes it.

They move into the little bathroom and Betty slowly extricates the test from the counter. There looking back at her are two little pink lines.  
Betty’s stomach drops as she slides down to the floor, tears springing to her eyes.

She’s pregnant.

Fuck she’s pregnant.

Jughead kneels down beside her and takes the test from her hand. His sharp inhale makes her aware somewhere in her subconscious that he’s read it and registered what it means.

She’s crying for real now. Her shoulder’s shaking and sobs wracking her body.  
Betty doesn’t know how she feels.  
Overwhelmed is probably the best word.

Jughead’s arms are quickly wrapped around her and pulling her to his chest as he kisses her temple and tells her it’s going to be okay.

“We’re gonna be okay Betty I promise you.” He murmurs in her ear and she sobs harder while she nods into his chest.

“You are my family. I promise you are always my family and god I know we’re young and this is crazy but I can’t wait to have a family with you. Because I love you so damn much and I know I’m gonna love the hell out of this kid. Because this is gonna be our kid Betts.” Jughead’s voice is so full of conviction and raw emotion Betty is almost stunned.

They hadn’t spoken about what they would do if… if this reality was in fact so. But hearing him talk about their family, thinking about a kid that’s half him and half her and so inextricably them does something to her heart. It melts and beats faster and she can see it. And suddenly she wants that. She wants it bad. She wants him forever and she knows she wants that family with him. And yeah maybe it’s coming a hell of a lot sooner than she thought. But now that she can see it, now that it’s happening she’s not sure she’s ever wanted something so badly.

She’s still crying. She’s still emotionally overwhelmed and terrified.

But she mumbles “our kid Juggie,” into his neck and he can feel the hint of a smile against his skin.

Jughead strokes her hair and lets a smile onto his own face as he pushes down his trepidation for another day.


End file.
